Beverage Innovation Lead — From Concept to Launch

KFC UK & Ireland; England; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

KFC UK & Ireland is seeking a Beverage Innovation Lead for Kwench By KFC. You will own the drinks pipeline from concept to launch across our estate, partnering with supplier, operations and marketing teams to turn trends into market-ready beverages.

This rare hybrid role requires hands-on formulation, strong brand thinking, and the ability to translate culture into drink concepts that scale in 1,000+ restaurants. Your work will shape the beverage direction of a bold growth engine.

Qualifications

• Must have hands-on beverage product development experience from concept to launch.
• Portfolio of launched drinks with evidence of commercial impact.
• Strong brand-thinking ability; develop products as ideas and stories.
• Demonstrable cultural fluency and ability to translate trends into drinks.
• Experience working with suppliers, supply chain and operations to scale products.

Responsibilities

• Own the Kwench innovation pipeline: build and manage a 12–24 month roadmap of new drinks, seasonal drops and extensions.
• Lead end-to-end product development: concepting, formulation, sensory optimization, nutrition/HFSS compliance, costing and specs.
• Develop core and seasonal beverage options, functional and low-sugar lines, and premium launches.
• Run structured testing and learning loops: sensory panels and in-restaurant trials to scale winners quickly.

Skills

Beverage development

Brand thinking

Cultural fluency

Collaboration

Supplier collaboration

Regulatory knowledge

Cross-functional teamwork

Education

Food science/Nutrition degree

Job description

KFC UK & Ireland is seeking a Beverage Innovation Lead for Kwench By KFC. You will own the drinks pipeline from concept to launch across our estate, partnering with supplier, operations and marketing teams to turn trends into market-ready beverages.

This rare hybrid role requires hands-on formulation, strong brand thinking, and the ability to translate culture into drink concepts that scale in 1,000+ restaurants. Your work will shape the beverage direction of a bold growth engine.